'I am Number 4' is a film adaptation of a brilliant fantasy novel. The film has been classified as an action, sci-fi, thriller which comes across strongly in the trailer. Despite being one of the shortest teaser trailers that we looked at, it is 32 seconds long, I felt that it was very effective. The anchorage used 'This Year' creates a sense of anticipation, drama and hype to attract audiences. Also, the board at the end of the trailer advertises a link to the film's web homepage and the film's release date keeping with the conventions of a teaser trailer. The use of white text on black creates darkness for the film, makes the text stand out and appear more dramatic.
Teaser trailers commonly use close ups and long shots to familiarise the audience with the setting and the protagonist/s. This trailer opens with an establishing shot of a seemingly idyllic location. Throughout this trailer over-voiced dialogue from the film is used. These lines create mystery and introduce the audience to the enigmas of the film. These quotes pique the interest of the audience and highlight the theme of identity and secrets as motifs within the film. This dialogue also helps to create a seamless straight cut edit between two unrelated scenes.Over the shoulder shots introduce the audience to the central protagonists and the fact that there are lots of close ups on the two characters/actors and no others in the sequence, highlight their importance and indicate that one of the hooks of this film is its attractive, young cast which would appeal to a particular demographic.
The special effects and superpowers clearly shown in close ups emphasise the genre and is another hook appealing to a niche sci-fi audience. These powers are also further enigmas and creates fascination. The music bursts in synchronously with the flash of light, there having been just diegetic noise and dialogue until this point. This adds power to the moment and rhythm to the following shots.
In the following shots impressive stunts create drama and excitement and allude to the action sub-genre. The fade transition used creates a moment where both shots are layered over one another allowing the movements to appear fluid or for moments to echo one another in motion or compisition. The slow motion of the jump heightens the sense of awe at his agility and strength. Another burst in drum beat (probably a sound bridge) helps to draw focus to that moment and emphasise how different this character is to humans, for example through his power.The low key lighting and close up and the female protagonist's face 
implies a romantic edge to the film. This is backed up by the lyrics of the song 'Rolling in the Deep' by Adele, which is synchronous with the editing of the trailer. However, it also connotes to conflict and sorrow and its volume is lowered considerably during this moment to create intimacy and contrast with the following action. The music's beat is modern and fast paced, the pace of music increases after this moment and build to a crescendo. The pace of editing does like-wise, as disjointed shots of panic and action are shown. The building pace of editing is a convention of teaser trailers.
implies a romantic edge to the film. This is backed up by the lyrics of the song 'Rolling in the Deep' by Adele, which is synchronous with the editing of the trailer. However, it also connotes to conflict and sorrow and its volume is lowered considerably during this moment to create intimacy and contrast with the following action. The music's beat is modern and fast paced, the pace of music increases after this moment and build to a crescendo. The pace of editing does like-wise, as disjointed shots of panic and action are shown. The building pace of editing is a convention of teaser trailers.The introduction of louder diegetic noise such as the police sirens and Sarah's screams add to the tension built during these clips and the enticing drama for the audience.
Hints of other moments within the film are briefly shown and the final image the audience sees is that of the main protagonist, whose voice is also the last thing we hear. "I am Number 4" is said synchronously with the appearance of the title. This is to make the title stick in the mind of the audience by using more than one sense. The logo behind the title, although an integral part of the plot, also aims at creating a brand/recogniseable icon for the film (for a series) on which to trade for promotional reasons.
In total this films shows clips/images from 11 different scenes, none lasting more than 3 seconds. This is enough to create an ambience of the genre and the films tone which are both significant for teaser trailers. Also this is enough to 'tease' a large audience demographic into anticipating the films release.
No comments:
Post a Comment